ESCP partners with Hugging Face to bring new AI tools to students, faculty and staff

As part of the School’s ongoing commitment to integrating artificial intelligence into education, research, and operations, ESCP has signed a new partnership with Hugging Face, the leading open-source AI platform, co-founded by ESCP alumnus Clément Delangue.

The partnership will provide ESCP’s community of over 12,000 students, faculty, and staff with free access to the Hugging Face platform’s Academia Hub, offering hands-on opportunities in learning, research, and entrepreneurship through advanced tools, enhanced collaboration, and exclusive resources. The partnership also extends access to Hugging Face’s “Learn” hub, reinforcing AI literacy across ESCP’s six European campuses.

This collaboration builds on ESCP’s portfolio of pioneering AI initiatives – including the collaboration with OpenAI for ChatGPT Edu access, the training of 1,000 “AI Champions” among students, faculty, and staff, and the integration of AI into programmes and operations. It also reflects ESCP’s broader Bold & United strategy and its ambition to shape accountable, bold & creative leaders at the intersection of business, technology, and global affairs.

“By partnering with Hugging Face, our students, faculty, and staff are not only learning about artificial intelligence, they are building with it,” says Prof. Léon Laulusa, Executive President and Dean of ESCP Business School. “This partnership reflects our "Bold and United" strategy and our conviction that AI is not just an augmented tool but a new language for management and innovation. With this approach, ESCP positions itself as a unique living lab of Generative AI in management education.”

“Building on this foundation, ESCP’s next ambition will be to create a sovereign and transformative platform for its community,” adds Prof. Laulusa. “Known as AIM – ESCP Intelligent Assistant Multirole – this initiative will redefine personalised learning, research, and administration, while fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem around AI.”

Through Hugging Face, students will gain access to powerful tools and models that support a wide range of applications, including:

• Learning data science inside and outside the classroom: Working with large language models (LLMs), vision, and multimodal AI systems for class projects, applied research, and assignments.
• Showcasing and certifying skills: Publishing projects on Hugging Face’s global platform, contributing to open-source initiatives, and strengthening CVs with visible, verifiable evidence of technical expertise valued by recruiters.
• Accelerating entrepreneurship: Leveraging Hugging Face to rapidly prototype and integrate open-source AI into minimum viable products (MVPs), enabling students in ESCP’s European startup incubator, the Blue Factory, or leading entrepreneurial ventures to innovate without significant infrastructure or licensing costs.

“While the entire ESCP community will benefit from access to Hugging Face’s ‘Learn’ hub, students in data science and technology-focused courses will have the opportunity to engage more deeply with these tools through applied learning and project work,” notes Francesco Rattalino, Executive Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Student Experience at ESCP Business School.

Faculty will also benefit from the partnership, with access to Hugging Face for designing interactive resources, customised learning materials, and research applications. Professors will receive tailored training in September 2025, while students will be onboarded from October, ensuring seamless integration across ESCP’s multi-campus ecosystem.

“At ESCP, we advocate for the responsible use of AI under the shared conviction that technology itself isn’t good or bad; it's how we use it that counts,” shares Prof. Louis-David Benyayer, AI Initiatives Coordinator at ESCP Business School. “We are proud to partner with Hugging Face, whose commitment to open-source development and ethical AI complements our values and offers practical benefits across the School’s academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Follow ESCP’s activity on Hugging Face